Today I would like for us to focus on the blessings that God gives us in our relationships with family and friends. We can praise Him for these!
Our relationships here on earth are a gift of love from our Father, whether we are talking about husbands, children, or other godly women. I'm grateful for the friendships that God has blessed me with; with our travel and our rural home, I have more internet friends than physical ones, but oh, how God has blessed me with those! I'm happy that I have been able to maintain good family relationships, and happy for friends that make life pleasant.
A friend loves at all times. (Proverbs 17:17)
We all know that our truest and closest friend is our Savior. He is our most genuine friend, because His love for us has nothing to do with what a good friend we are to Him, nor what we can do for Him, nor what we look like, or anything else that can influence other mortals! He laid down His life for us while we were still sinners:
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)How precious to have Him call us His friends; though we were so undeserving. He is always faithful and forgiving -- and what an example He is to us, in our relationships here on earth. We should cherish those friendships that God has brought our way, for they can bring us encouragement and joy. In an even more important note, we need to nurture and honor those friendships, and show our appreciation in these ways:
1. Be a good listener
2. Encourage our family and our friends to grow more like Him
3. Be gentle, patient, and understanding.
4. Offer comfort when needed, but do not intrude where we don't belong.
5. Pray for our family and our friends.
6. Laugh and make memories.
We can be a true friend to the family and friends that God has blessed us with. Let's praise Him today for these blessings!
I find it very helpful to remember that love, as found in scripture, is primarily an action, rather than an emotion. All of the things that are listed in this blog post are actions, rather than feelings. We frequently hear of 2Cor 13 being quoted as the definition of love in a marriage, and it’s often the scripture portion of the marriage service. But I think it is wider than that. We are commanded to love one another as Christians, to love our friends, to love our families. So, just as love should keep no record of wrongs in our marriages, (I picked that one because it’s one of them that I struggle with), it should also keep no record of wrongs in our friendships. It is impossible on a strictly human effort level, to live that definition of love. But the Lord has given us the gift of his spirit so that, in His strength, we can do it, even if imperfectly. Thank you Lord, for the gift of your friendship, and the friendship of others. How lonely this life would be without them.
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